Forbes Magazine recently very kindly named me in the global Forbes Top 50 Social Media Influencers. I thought I would repay the compliment by listing in order of Influence, the top 500 Australian Journalists by influence in social media. Editors should really pay attention – if the journalists are not connecting with readers, having their content distributed through communities, are they fulfilling ALL of their brief (to communicate stories that will be read and discussed by Australians)? At the moment, social media influence is in the hands of industry experts who write (original source) or find (filter) stories and then distribute them into the community. I’m pretty sure Journalists will do that even better as they move into online communities properly (not just use it to pilfer stories for traditional media).
FYI Leaderboards (lists) are an important function of community online or offline. The Role of Leaderboards in Online Communities.
From PeerIndex. Compare with the (outdated) Klout list – based on my list from 2009. Use your scrolly-wheely-mousey thing to scroll. Which journalist/media person is missing? Let me know, I’ll add them, and we’ll see where they are on the list 
Note Rupert Murdoch and Monica Attard are fairly new to social media so their ranking will increase if they continue to use it.
Influence is a funny thing – other people have to say you have it. And more than say, they have to show it in their actions. Retweeting, sharing, liking, forwarding, commenting, emailing… that’s influence. In some senses “influence” is filtering. Communities seek out people who can filter for them. Journalists filter News, Academia filters Research, Academy Awards filters Actors, Olympics filters SportsPeople. And I’m filtering Journalists for you. 
Always consider the filtering system e.g. Authors. First they must finish the book, then they must get published, then they must get distributed, then they must get on a Top list, then they need word of mouth. Lots of filtering to be a successful author. Here is a list of different types of Influencers and Social Media.
Influence is a TIME thing too.
Start, build a profile, contribute, get rewarded in comments and connections, if you don’t like what you get rewarded with, revise your tone and strategies.
What do you think? Can journalists that come with inbuilt reputation systems of filters by Editors and Media Proprietors gain EARNED media in social media?
Images from my diagram set.
DISCLAIMER: I run classes on building reputation and influence in social media and how to find influencers. #RhymeMeetReason
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Social Media and The Cone of Silence – Victoria Department of Justice
DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE, VICTORIA: What does it mean when the people you elected to represent you, turn off comments in social channels? Go away, shut up, just do as I say, don’t ask, none of your business? But it is OUR business. If the person I am employing (through taxes) to do work for my community is on my communication channel, I expect to be able to speak to them. Not following me back on Twitter, turning off comments on YouTube, disabling discussion on Facebook is not the way to show me, the voter/your employer that you respect me. It’s Continue Reading…